The developer of the planned 21-story residential tower commonly known as the Ashby high-rise has hired an old-line Houston construction company to build the controversial project north of Rice University.

Linbeck Group, a general contractor whose top executive lives in the neighborhood adjacent to the building site, is expected to start construction at the beginning of next year.

Executive chairman Leo Linbeck III said the company is taking on the project because it believes it "will be able to do the best job of mitigating the impact of the construction process."

"I realize that folks may decide to attack us for our involvement. A lot of my neighbors are very unhappy, and I can't change that," he said. "But we really are trying to help, and I hope that they appreciate that."

The developer, who announced Linbeck's involvement late Wednesday, also said it had partnered with an El Paso real-estate firm, Hunt Cos., to develop and finance the project.

It also has experience building in the upscale neighborhood near the university and Leo Linbeck's home.

Similar concerns

Several years ago, the company was the general contractor on the Medical Clinic of Houston at 1701 Sunset. The six-story building, just a few blocks away from the high-rise site, was criticized by some of the area residents who were concerned about traffic, glaring lights and the scale of the building, which they felt was inappropriate for the neighborhood.

Some of their concerns, along with new ones, returned with the planned high-rise on Bissonnet at Ashby.

A group of homeowners has waged a long-running battle to stop the project. The protests continued even after Mayor Annise Parker declared earlier this year that the city could do nothing to stop the project.

Bill Scott, division president at Linbeck Group, said the high-rise will be a technically challenging construction project. If it's going to be built, "it ought to get built by someone that can do a very good job and can do it safely."

"That's the expertise we bring to the equation," he said. "Our technical expertise we believe is a value to the project."